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Culturing
Penelope Boston and Diana Northup culturing in Spider Cave.
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To study microbes, we culture (grow) them in special media (food). Imagine yourself put on a vat of spaghetti where you could obtain all the food you want. The microbes “eat”, grow, reproduce, and multiply until you visit a visible colony on the surface of the medium, which is often put into a sterile Petri dish. Microbiologists design all kinds of media to tempt different kinds of microbes to grow.

This is a picture that shows Diana Northup and Penelope Boston culturing in Spider cave.
Penelope Boston and Diana Northup culturing in Spider Cave.
Click on the Picture for Image Information

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Looking
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Sterile Techniques
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Why Do You Study Caves?
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What Do Scientists Have to Say?